Alabama 'Really Excited' Jaylen Mbakwe Decided to Come Back

The five-star freshman defensive back announced he was entering the transfer portal, but chose to stick with the Crimson Tide.

Oct 19, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (1) runs the ball against Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Jaylen Mbakwe (9) during the second half at Neyland Stadium. / Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Things got crazy when the transfer portal opened back up for all of college football on Dec. 9 with today's rules surrounding the portal and NIL. Several Alabama players have transferred out, one major player has transferred in and at least two players have said they were going to leave and then decided to come back.

Freshman defensive back Jaylen Mbakwe made a social media post on Monday saying he was entering the portal as the best step for his "personal and professional development" with rumors swirling that he was being offered seven figures by other schools. But by Tuesday, the former five-star out of Clay-Chalkville had decided to stick with the Crimson Tide.

Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said he's "really excited" by Mbakwe's decision.

"This is a time where there’s a lot of people, a lot of voices out there and all those things," Wommack said after Wednesday's practice. "I think Jaylen did what Jaylen wanted to do. Which, he chose Alabama out of high school, and he chose Alabama now. We’re happy to have him."

As an in-state product, Mbakwe was one of the major recruits to stick with DeBoer after Nick Saban retired. He's also extremely close friends with freshman wide receiver Ryan Wiliams, and the two have a podcast together. This season, Mbakwe had 12 total tackles this season and an interception against Tennessee.

The conversation Mbakwe had with Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer was simple, and he was back out there practicing with the team on Wednesday as the Crimson Tide continues preparations for the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan.

"His conversation with me is that he wanted to come back," DeBoer said. "Really, it’s not that complicated. First of all, the kid loves this place. He’s a great teammates, works extremely hard. We see what he does on the field— he’s extremely versatile. We’ve seen him play defense. We’ve seen him do things with the ball in his hands on punt return situations. I think some guys just as they go through it, realize really what they want. We just are in the world right now where that’s what it is. Man, we’re excited that he wanted to be here with us "

Mbakwe played both wide receiver and cornerback in high school, and with Alabama down to four scholarship wide receivers for the ReliaQuest Bowl, DeBoer said they are "open to what he can bring to the table" on offense.

Read more: Malachi Moore Out for ReliaQuest Bowl Due to Season-Long Injury

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